November 19th - December 2nd Triangle 2015

by Pam & Michael Davison

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and the holiday buzz is in the air! This weekend officially kicks off the holiday season in the Triangle with parades and seasonal events.

This newsletter will cover two weeks to help you plan out your holiday. If you are staying in town and are looking to get out and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine before or after your Turkey feast, there are plenty of wonderful parks in the area. Do be aware that several local county and city parks (the ones with gates) will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Neighborhood playgrounds, greenways and state parks are all great destinations to run off some energy or extra calories.

Come to Yates Mill Saturday to kick off your holiday shopping at the Yates Mill Associates' Holiday Sale and learn about the Historic Trades, the Butcher, Baker & Candlestick Maker.

Do you have visitors coming into town? Historic Yates Mill County Park will be presenting Corn Milling Demonstrations both Saturday and Sunday. You are invited to take a Saturday at the Old Mill Tour on November 28th and Mill Heritage & Local History Tour on Sunday the 29th.

The weekend kicks off Thursday at the Halle Arts Center with a Pizza and a Movie Night. The featured flick will be Inside Out. Bring everyone to the Halle Friday night for a Family Dance with Traditional Dance Caller, Connie Carringer and an old-time string band.

Come learn about the Adventures of a Museum Veterinarian or attend the Raleigh Astronomy Club's Monthly Lecture on Local Astronomy Photography at this week's Science Thursday. This Thursday also features Game Night.

Tuesday, November 24th they will be making Creative Crafts throughout the Holidays at Hill St. Community Center.

Get all your fresh ingredients for Thanksgiving Friday at the NC State Farmers Market while you check out Colossal Collard Day.

More Holiday Fun!

Bundle up and head downtown early Saturday morning to get a great spot to watch the Annual Christmas Parade in downtown Raleigh. The event is expected to draw more that 60,000 spectators to see the the largest parade between Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The parade is also broadcast live on WRAL starting at 10:00am.

Once you are downtown, you can head over to The North Carolina Museum of History for the Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration. Come celebrate North Carolina's American Indian heritage at this exciting festival featuring music, dancing, storytelling, hands-on activities and food. There will be members of the state's eight recognized tribes sharing their heritage and demonstrating their skills at pottery, basketry, beadwork and stone carving. Its a great event to learn about the history of the American Indian that took place right here in North Carolina.

You can also lace up some skates and enjoy a few laps on the Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink. Opening Festival is Saturday following the parade. The rink will be open in Raleigh's City Plaza through January 31st and $10 includes both admission and skate rental.

Not Holiday related but as a special treat, this Friday and Saturday, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is hosting Films from the 2015 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. The Museum is actually the first venue to showcase the award-winning films from the 2015 Festival, considered the world's premier event for the nature and conservation film genre. Click through for the complete schedule.

Find creative, locally handmade gifts of art for everyone on your holiday list at the Durham Art Walk Holiday Market this Saturday and Sunday.

Marbles Kids Museum invites you to hear some Kidz in Concert Saturday with guest musicians from Kidznotes, a Triangle-based K-12 orchestra program. They will feature a Guest Star Scientist from ECU's FoodMASTER team with some Turkey Day Science Sunday. Join them at Marbles from Wednesday the 25th through Sunday the 29th for special Thanksgiving Play like Yam Jam, Turkey Day Parade Floats and Magnet Mayhem.

Many local farmers markets are closed for the season, but the Winter Market will be making its indoor debut inside the Holly Springs Cultural Center Saturday morning.

They will be Talkin' Turkey at the ATT Wednesday the 25th. Join them on the American Tobacco Trail to learn all about wild turkeys.

Raven Rock State Park invites you to join them Thanksgiving Morning for a 3 to 6 mile Hike for Your Health before the eating begins.

Also Thanksgiving morning, you can take a Nature Hike along the Old Oak Trail at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. The trail is fairly flat with gentle rolling hills and perfect for all ages.

November is Pecan Pickin' Month at Historic Oak View County Park. Come explore the 19th century historic farmstead that includes a restored home, pecan grove, plank kitchen, cotton field, cotton & boll weevil exhibit, tenant house and farm history center.

More Holiday Activites

Kick off your shopping after Thanksgiving and get into the festivities with the Annual Christmas Carousel Holiday Festival at NC State Fairgrounds. Featuring live holiday music, Santa, cooking demonstrations, original artwork and crafts, Christmas decorations, prints, pottery, candle making, jewelry and more.

Take a Holiday Wagon Ride along the back roads of Harris Lake Park Saturday, November 28th.

Kick-off the Holidays at the Chapel Hill Downtown Tree Lighting Ceremony Sunday, November 29th. Along with the Tree Lighting, there will be caroling and visits from Santa & Mrs. Claus.

Looking for a fun day trip? Natural Science Center of Greensboro invites you to get into the holiday mood with special shows daily in their OmniSphere Theater. Starting November 27th and running through December, the Laser Holiday Show combines amazing lasers with a mix of classic holiday songs and the Light Before Christmas will magically transport you into the classic tale, "The Night Before Christmas."

Art and Culture!

The Carrboro Film Festival is a celebration of the film and video creativity we have in Orange County. All filmmakers from beginner to well established professionals will be featured both Saturday and Sunday.

This Friday brings Third Friday to Downtown Durham with a Gallery crawl and lots of live music.

This Friday the North Carolina Museum of Art kicks off the weekend with Art in the Evening in the West Building featuring the band, The Hey Brothers a Sound Bite on artwork with Design in Mind, a Third Friday Tour of the Art of M. C. Escher and the 1941 classic movie Citizen Kane.

Both this weekend and next you are invited to join a guided tour at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Meet Your Museum Tours of the 164 acre campus, and Weekend Family Friendly Tours are given on both Saturdays and Sundays. This Sunday, you are invited to enjoy Music in the Galleries with the North Carolina Harp Ensemble performing seasonal favorites by 13 professional harpists.

Art in the Evening returns Friday, November 27th with the band Peter Lamb and the Wolves and a Sound Bite on Water, Water, Water, Everywhere.

Inside Out will be the featured flick at Family Movie Night this Friday at the Hill Street Community Center.

This Friday night, the monthly Discovery Series returns to the Holly Springs Cultural Center with Nine Times Around - A History of Irish Music. A local favorite of Triangle Irish pubs, this energetic pub band takes you on a journey to Ireland and its music from the last 50 years!

Take a Civil Rights Heritage Walking Tour in Durham this Saturday and explore many of the sites in downtown Durham that were important during the 1950s and 60s Civil Rights movement.

Wall-E will be the featured film the Holly Springs Cultural Center Saturday, November 21st, The Aristocats will be shown Monday, November 23rd, Barbie as Rapunzel on Saturday, November 28th and Meet the Robinsons will be the Monday Morning Movie November 30th.

Along with the holiday craft fairs coming to the Fairgrounds after Thanksgiving, this weekend, you can check out all the critters at the Reptile & Exotic Animal Show, Raleigh Antiques Extravaganza, and the Christmas Toy Exchange by Kids Exchange,

Beginners and experienced singers are all welcome to participate in the Shape Note Sing this Sunday afternoon at Mordecai Historic Park. Singers in this tradition sing a cappella and sit arranged by vocal part in a "hollow square," facing one another across the square and taking turns at leading.

The Triangle Troglodytes will be holding their monthly lecture Tuesday, November 24th at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The topic will be Homo Naledi - Changing the Face of the Human Story.

Fun at the Parks

Learn Hoo's Eating Hoo Friday evening at Lake Crabtree County Park. Release your inner scientist as you examine an owl pellet. Then go on a hike to look for signs of owls, other predators, and their prey. Come back to Crabtree Saturday to take Intermediate Orienteering and learn how to find your way using only a compass and map. On Sunday, bring the kids to Get Crafty having some Fall Forest Fun.

Friday morning, you are invited to bring your 3-7 year olds to a new monthly program at Raven Rock State Park that will help kids explore the world of nature through games, exploration, interaction and crafts. November's program will celebrate Native Americans.

Come and learn about Occoneechee Mountain's geologic wonders. Explore the pyrophyllite quarry Saturday afternoon with a real geologist on a Geology Hike.

Practice your Tree ID on a wander through the fall woods, and then design a "leaf critter" out of pressed leaves to take home Saturday at Blue Jay Point County Park.

Take a Fall Foliage Hike Saturday at Annie Louise Wilkerson Nature Preserve with a naturalist guide.

This Sunday, come to Falls Lake to explore the Animals of Falls Lake. There will be a variety of animal pelts and mounted animals you can touch and see up close as you learn about the mammals that live in the park. They will repeat the program Saturday, November 28th.

Take a Leisurely Jog along the Laurel Bluffs Trail at Eno River State Park Monday afternoon.

Join an Umstead Park Ranger and learn how to Build a Campfire Tuesday afternoon.

Skip the stores Black Friday and head over to Jordan Lake for Bald Eagles 101, Learn about the bald eagles that live at the park and see if you can spot them. Kids are invited to Jordan Lake Saturday and Sunday for CATCH to learn basic fishing techniques.

Educators of children between the ages of 3-7 years old are welcome to attend Growing Up WILD, the 6-hour workshop that counts as a Criteria I workshop in the NCEE Cert. The Wednesday, December 2nd program at Blue Jay County Park is free but requires registration.